


THE LAST DREAM

by guiablooms



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M, Memory loss but voluntary, Mentioned Park Chanyeol, Mild Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guiablooms/pseuds/guiablooms
Summary: Byun Baekhyun wants to do a hard brain reset. But before that, he must save a backup copy of his important brain files first.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18
Collections: Challenge #4 — Into the Future





	THE LAST DREAM

When he was in preschool, Baekhyun dreamt of becoming a dinosaur, big and intimidating.

In elementary, he decided that flying out in space was much cooler, so he wanted to become an astronaut.

In high school, Baekhyun rolled his eyes and snickered. What do I dream of? Who the hell knows. So in college, he picked a course that his mother claimed to be the one to lead him to a stable job. Baekhyun wished to get everything over quickly and land the said stable job as soon as possible.

After he got the job, he started dreaming of _becoming someone else._ Someone who has a life, unlike him, who’s simply living in a cycle of work and home and his demanding boss and work again. Someone with a story worth telling, worth living in.

And this—this is Baekhyun’s way of pursuing that dream.

“We’ve finished backing-up all the necessary files, Mr. Byun,” the facilitator declares as he turns the computer screen with all the brain files to face Baekhyun, who’s sitting on a chair with a helmet connected to the computer. “You still have a bit of storage left. Anything else you’d like to keep?”

Baekhyun laughs at that. Something to keep? What’s there to keep from his stagnant life? “Nah,” he then drawls. “I don’t think so.”

“Sure?” the facilitator presses further. “It’ll be a shame not to maximize the space when you paid a pretty hefty amount for the backup storage. Are you sure there’s nothing? No one? No special person worth keeping?”

Baekhyun is sure. However, he still tries to come up with something, someone, because the facilitator’s right—this thing is expensive. The first people that come into his mind are his family members, who for sure are worth keeping, but then he’s also sure that they’re already in the files already backed-up, so no. Maybe someone else, someone more distant. So he thinks of his neighbor, who’s old and sweet, but he remembers that he can always just reintroduce himself and she’ll remain old and sweet. He thinks of someone else. Next, his boss, who’s demanding as fuck, but why should he keep such an ugly person in his memory? He shrugs off the thought. So he remembers his ex, whom he was with for only a short while, whom he broke up with on bad terms, but then why should he keep in his brain a trace of his biggest regret ever?

Baekhyun swallows at that. Why, huh? He swallows again. Because why not? _  
_

Baekhyun still clearly remembers how they ended. All the shouts. The tears. The pang on his chest that came with regret the moment it sank in him that everything was over. The _What are you thinking Baekhyuns_ and _How dare you do that when all he’s ever done was love yous._ He remembers the last time he saw him, when his ex was smiling and had completely moved on from him, and he remembers the bitter bile that got up in his throat. Where did he get the audacity, huh, to be bitter, when Baekhyun was the dumb one who ended everything just like that?

However, Baekhyun, too, remembers all the kisses. And the warmth. And the sweet whispers. The affirmations, the laughter. The _I love you Baekhyuns_ and the _I love you toos_ and their _I can already picture a bright future with yous._ Baekhyun remembers the happiness. Baekhyun remembers the love.

Baekhyun remembers that at one point, there was someone who brought color to his dull life. Someone who made it flow abundantly. And he’s worth remembering. And he’s “Park Chanyeol. I’d like to remember Park Chanyeol.”

“Ah… so there’s someone,” the facilitator comments as he types in the name to the computer. “Alright. Let’s see what we got.

“Mm… This is interesting, there seems to be too many memories with this person. Must be pretty special, huh?

“And it also seems like these won’t fit in your remaining space.”

Baekhyun’s face drops at that. So he can’t keep them? Baekhyun only has one person to keep, but he’s too much, so he… can’t?

“Don’t worry, though, you can always spend a few more for extra storage. Or we can reduce the file size instead.”

“Reduce the file size?” Baekhyun repeats the part that got his attention. “What happens then?”

“The memories will be… faded,” the facilitator answers. “You might remember all the feelings, all the... abstract concepts surrounding the memories, but not the details. As for this person, you might not remember their face. Nor their voice, their name.

“Simply put, the memories will just be like a dream. A long, vivid dream, at that.”

Baekhyun pauses to process the words. A dream, huh? Park Chanyeol will be a dream. Baekhyun will remember all the goosebumps he got, the fuzzy feelings, the shivers down his spine whenever Chanyeol whispered his name, but not Chanyeol exactly, huh? And once he begins his new life, it will make sense, because by then, Chanyeol will just be a dream to him.

It’s a painful thought to bear, but what difference will it make, anyway? Chanyeol is already a dream to him. Merely something to long for, something to imagine. What’s the point of spending for extra storage simply to keep their memories clear and complete?

“I see.” Baekhyun returns his focus to the facilitator. “Let’s reduce the file size, then.”

“Okay.” The facilitator then spends the next few minutes to fix everything. “Alright, we’re done, you ready for the hard reset?”

Baekhyun lets out a deep breath. “Mm. Let’s do it.”

The facilitator smiles, does a few clicks, and fixes the connections on Baekhyun’s head. Later on, Baekhyun grins as he feels his eyes slowly dropping. Finally, he’s about to fulfill the last dream he has in this life. And once he opens his eyes again, all the traces of his childhood dreams will be forgotten, and only one will remain. _  
_

**Author's Note:**

> hello! thank you so much for reading. i know this isn't the best, nor the most unique plot ever, but i hope you enjoyed this somehow! this is my first time to post a fic online and i'm proud of how it turned out because aside from that, the past week was really difficult for me irl D: so i'm really happy to still be able to get this idea out of my head somehow properly despite all that!


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